Williams appreciates Desmond's apology

By Bill Ladson and Teddy Cahill / MLB.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- In his last at-bat in the ninth inning of Monday's 9-2 victory over the Giants, Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond knew he was a homer short of a cycle, and then he flied out to Tyler Colvin in left field. After he realized that he was making an out, Desmond slammed his bat to the ground and later apologized for his actions.

Manager Matt Williams said he appreciates that Desmond took a step back and realized what he did was wrong.

"I think it's human nature. Those times [of hitting for the cycle] don't come around very often," Williams said. "To try and do something like [the cycle], I don't think anyone would have a problem. If he feels uneasy about the reaction he had, it was a good pitch to hit. It was a hanging breaking ball, a ball he probably thought he could have done something with.

"The fact that he is uneasy about it tells me how he respects the game and he respects his opponent. He wants to win, he wants to beat them. He will do everything he can [to win]. But he also respects them and the way you should play the game. We're glad to have him on our club. That stuff is important."

Ramos exits game with tight right hamstring

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos left Tuesday's 2-1 victory over the Giants in the top of the ninth inning Tuesday because of right hamstring tightness. For now, he is listed as day to day. The Nationals hope to know how serious the injury is by Wednesday.

Wilson hurt the hamstring after batting in the ninth inning against right-hander Juan Gutierrez. Ramos doubled to left-center field and felt pain as he was sliding into second base. Ramos left the game and was replaced by outfielder Nate McLouth. Ramos walked back into the dugout on his own power.

After the game, Ramos was upbeat and said he wasn't as worried as much he was in the past regarding hamstring injuries. Ramos missed half of last season because of left hamstring injuries.

"I felt something in the hammy, but it's not that bad," Ramos said after Tuesday's game. "Hopefully, I will feel better tomorrow. We'll see how it feels tomorrow. When I felt it, it scared me. That moment I said, 'It's happened again.' I'm thinking positively."

Detwiler leaning on teammates in bullpen role

SAN FRANCISCO -- Nationals left-hander Ross Detwiler has been a starter during most of his big league career. Now he is trying figure out what his role is on the team. As of now, he is a long reliever and trying to get into a rhythm. Detwiler is receiving a lot of help from his teammates in the bullpen.

"A lot of the guys [in the bullpen] are helping me out," Detwiler said. "In the beginning of the game, when the starters are kind of cruising, we'll just sit back and talk about different things. That has helped out a lot, whether it's talking about a hitter or holding a pitch or just trying new things."

It's hard for Detwiler to see a lot of action lately because the starters have gone until at least the sixth or seventh inning in a game. Entering Tuesday's action, Detwiler had appeared in 18 games and had a 4.78 ERA. He last pitched Monday against the Giants and allowed a run in two innings. Detwiler has appeared in only two games during the month of June.

"We have been playing a lot of one-run games and we get our proven guys in there," Detwiler said. "Obviously, I want to pitch every chance I get. We have guys that are in certain roles. They have been in those roles a lot this year."

Asked if he plans to go to manager Matt Williams about getting more playing time out of the bullpen, Detwiler said, "I don't think it's my position to ask for certain things. He has been doing what he feels is best for the team to win that given day. I want to be in the plans; it just hasn't fallen that way this year."

Detwiler said he feels most comfortable as a starter. His best season was in 2012, going 10-8 with a 3.40 ERA in 33 games (27 starts). He missed most of last year because of a back injury.

"That's where I'm most comfortable. You are able to get a routine down. You know when you are going to pitch," Detwiler said. "I'm always a good routine person. It changed a little bit -- how much you run, how much you lift. Through all that stuff between starts, that's the biggest difference."

Nats prospect Voth twirls gem at Class A

Right-hander Austin Voth, the Nationals' No. 16 prospect, retired the first 18 batters he faced Tuesday and combined with reliever David Ramos for a one-hit shutout in Class A Hagerstown's 2-0 victory against Lakewood.

Voth took a perfect game into the seventh inning, only to see it broken up when Phillies No. 3 prospect J.P. Crawford drew a leadoff walk. Carlos Tocci followed with a single, ending the no-hitter. But Voth recovered to retire the next three batters and preserve the shutout.

Voth exited the game after allowing just one hit and one walk in seven scoreless innings. He struck out six batters. Ramos relieved him to start the eighth and retired all six batters he faced to earn his first save.

Voth, the Nationals' fifth-round pick in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft, has dominated the South Atlantic League this season. But Tuesday still stood out as the best start of his young career, eclipsing a start last month when he allowed just one hit and one walk in six shutout innings against Hickory.

With the victory Tuesday, Voth improved to 4-3 with a 2.23 ERA. He has struck out 69 batters and walked 19 in 64 2/3 innings. He leads the SAL with a 1.02 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched), while ranking second in ERA and third in strikeouts.